Chair



(No Model.)

W. SENGI.

v CHAIR. No. 490,366. Patented Jam-24 1893..

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ilnrrnn STATES WENDELIN SENG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,366, dated January 24, 1893.

Application filed May 26, 1891. $erial N0- 394=,139. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WENDELIN SENG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an ordinary chair with means that will give it, in a measure, the operation of a rocking chair; and my invention consists in the features and details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a chair provided with my improvements; Fig. 2 a detail with the leg removed from the chair; and Fig. 3 a section on line 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrow.

In making my improved chair, I take an ordinary chair and apply to it, preferably immediately within the legs and under the seat, a plate A that extends back of the chair a sufficient distance and that is provided with ears or lugs a. The supplementary leg B is pivoted to the ears of the plate, as shown in Fig. 1. I preferably employ'one of these supplementary legs, as shown, placed at the center of the chair, although two may be used if desired, one at each side. The supplementary leg is made in two parts, held together by a rod C or other convenient means that will enable it to be shortened or extended in length; such rod being held by aset screw H, so as to permit of its being adjusted. Between the two parts is a spring D that will tend to hold the leg in its extended position. Near the bottom of the chair are provided spring links E, pivoted to the chair legs and to a collar F mounted on the lower portion of the supplementary leg, these links being also pivotally connected with the collar F by a rivet or other suitable means, as shown in the drawings. A spring f holds the collar in its position of lowest adjustment, and when in this position, the link holds the leg out from the chair, as shown in Fig. 1.

When it is desired to allow the supplemental leg to fall or fold in toward the chair, the spring f is compressed in, which permits the collar F to slide along the leg as it is folded in to the chair. The leg is provided near its lower end with branches G, extending out at either side and a little behind the main leg, as shown, and carrying rubber buf fers g at their ends. The supplemental leg also has a buffer H at its lower end which rests upon the floor when the leg is in use. The branches, which do not normally touch the floor, act to prevent the chair from rocking sidewise, since if the chair rock but slightly to the right or left, the branch on that side will rest upon the floor, and prevent all further movement in that direction.

At the front of the chair, and preferably to one or more of the rungs, I attach by any suitable means a rod or bar I. On this rod slides a collar I, provided with a set-screw t", and resting loosely in this collar or attached thereto is a coil spring J, preferably of a spiral form, as shown. This spring may be slid down the rod to any desired extent, so as to rest upon the floor as the chair is tilted backward, or if it is desired not to use the spring, it may be slid upon the rod, being held in any desired position by means of the set screw.

In operation, as the chair is tilted back by the occupant, the supplementary leg will come against the floor, and the spring in such leg will be compressed sufficiently to ease the backward motion of the chair and give it the desired impulse forward. The strength or tension of the spring should therefore be such that it Will permit the necessary rocking motion and give the forward impulse, without bringing the coils too closely together. Preferably, the tension should be such that, in the rocking of the chair, the coils Would not be compressed entirely. If the spring J be used in addition, as the chair rocks forward this spring will be compressed, easing the forward motion and tending to rock the chair backward again, so that the chair is rocked other by the spring J, thereby requiring but a spring engaging With such collar to hold it IO little exertion on the part of the occupant to in position for use and yielding to allow the move it either way. collar to slide up the leg, and a spring adapted I claim: to keep the two parts of the leg ext-ended, sub- 5 In a chair, the combination with the ordistantially as described.

nary legs of a supplementary leg, such leg WVENDELIN SENG. being made in two parts secured together ad- Vitnesses: j nstaloly a collar sliding on such leg, links GEORGE S. PAYSON,

connecting such collar with the ordinarylegs, SAMUEL E. IIIBBEN. 

